In the novel, the society has taken away pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives.

In an effort to preserve order, the society has a true sense of equality and lacks any color, climate, or terrain.

[3] It has been the subject of a large body of scholarly analysis, with academics considering themes of memory, religion, color, eugenics and utopia within the novel.

In Australia, Canada, and the United States, it is required on many core curriculum reading lists in middle school,[4] but it is also frequently challenged.

[8] In 2014, a film adaptation was released, starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and Brenton Thwaites and directed by Philip Noyce.

These memories, and being the only Community member allowed access to books about the past, give the Receiver perspective to advise the Council of Elders.

Jonas's father is concerned about an infant at the Nurturing Center who is failing to thrive and has received special permission to bring him home at night.

Since he now considers his father a murderer, Jonas initially refuses to return home, but the Giver convinces him that without the memories, the people of the Community cannot know that what they have been trained to do is wrong.

They plan to fake Jonas's drowning to limit the search for him, but he instead must escape in a rush with Gabriel, upon learning of the child's imminent release.

He and Gabriel ride the sled down towards a house filled with colored lights and warmth and love and a Christmas tree, and for the first time he hears something he believes must be music.

"[12] Like Lowry's other books, The Giver shows changes in the characters' lives, reflecting this fascination in the multifaceted dimensions of growing up.

[13] The Giver was initially inspired by Lowry's interaction with her father, who, in his senility, kept forgetting about the long-ago death of her sister;[14] she imagined "a novel in which people are deprived of the memories of suffering, grief, and pain.

[14] She has stated, of the characters in The Giver, they have lived in a sterile world for so long that they are in danger of losing the real emotions that make them human.

[21] Countering Bradford's claim, which would suggest that the novel is conservative rather than transformative due to its religious imagery and undertones, Wend-Walker's post-secular reading suggests that the novel explores the ambiguity between the secular and religious binary which provides it progressive potential by allowing for the transformative potential of the spiritual.

[25] They suggest that Jonas's full perception of color at the end is what allows him to choose to travel elsewhere as an autonomous agent in comparison to others in his community.

[26] Elizabeth Bridges reads an implication of gene editing in the development of the homogenous community, based on euphemistic language throughout the novel.

[30][31] However, reviewers have commented that the story lacks originality and is not likely to stand up to the sort of probing literary criticism used in "serious" circles.

[32] Karen Ray, writing in The New York Times, detects "occasional logical lapses", but adds that the book "is sure to keep older children reading".

[35] A review in The Horn Book Magazine stated, "In a departure from her well-known and favorably regarded realistic works, Lois Lowry has written a fascinating, thoughtful science-fiction novel...

In the years following, members of the partnership changed and the production team grew in size, but little motion was seen toward making the film.

Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Odeya Rush, Cameron Monaghan, Alexander Skarsgård and Taylor Swift round out the rest of the main cast.